By MATTHEW SHERWOOD                   August 2, 2001

Every once in a while, we get to see beyond the soda commercials and shoe endorsements. Beneath the offensive rap albums and isolation plays, basketball is still a team sport. Just a group of guys trying to play some ball and win a championship together. Finding a pro basketball player who is committed to winning and his teammates - a team player - is like finding a twenty in your pants pockets: it’s a rare thing, but when it happens you can’t help but feel good for a minute.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, David Robinson was the epitome of ‘team play.’ He seemed to give his all night in and night out. You never read about him doing something embarrassing in the news. As far as I know, he’s never even been to the Gold Club. Even better, he seemed to understand that sometimes you have to sacrifice to win. When the better, younger Tim Duncan came along, he silently deferred to help his team win a title. Hell, he even flew across the country to convince Duncan to re-up and keep his squad intact for another run.

Which is why it was so surprising that a guy with ‘team’ written all over his resume sold out the Spurs for a bigger paycheck. With the San Antonio front office trying to keep a title contender together, Robinson demanded more money than the club wanted to give. By rejecting an ‘insulting’ offer of $7.5 million, he made it difficult for his team to retain up-and-coming guard Derek Anderson (who, ironically, took less than he was worth a year ago to play for a winner.)

The Spurs were hammer-locked into trading Anderson for an older, slower Steve Smith from the Blazers. While Smith is a fine player, he isn’t what he used to be. San Antonio gets an older jump shooter with bad knees for the younger, slashing scorer that their team needed. Somewhere, the Indians who sold Manhattan for beads are nodding sympathetically. 

The admiral banked a cool $14.7 million last year, and the only thing remarkable about his season was the disappearing act he pulled against the Lakers. With ongoing back problems, it’s clear that he’s becoming a more limited player in the declining years of his career. Why, then, was it so ‘disrespectful’ of the Spurs to ask him to take a large pay cut so that they could sign Derek Anderson?

What happened to the team player we all knew? And don’t tell me that seven and a half million dollars a year to play hoops is insulting, or that he needed the money for the ‘security of his family.’ If you can’t figure out how to live comfortably for the rest of your life on what he’s made already, your paycheck isn’t the problem. I’d love to see a commercial where David teaches kids how to read his bank statement

It would have been nice to see Robinson do the team thing and take a minimum salary of $1 million per year. With the money this guy has made over his career, he wouldn’t be hurting. (And when did one million dollars a year to play basketball become pocket change, anyway?) Just think of the things that could have been accomplished. He could have shown his teammates, as well as the other players in the league, what it means to be a class act. He also could have made his job a whole lot easier and improved his team’s chances for a title dramatically.

Can you imagine if the Spurs had that extra cash to deepen their roster? Derek Anderson could have received the contract he earned and would be gearing up for the next season. Samaki Walker, and maybe Avery Johnson, could still be on board. And, the Spurs could have gone out and found one more veteran free agent to help out. There were plenty of them out there that San Antonio could use-Anthony Mason at the three spot, Patrick Ewing as a backup, Shandon Anderson on a wing, Tim Hardaway... you get the point, the list goes on and on. There aren’t too many NBA teams that are truly ‘one player away,’ but the Spurs might have been that close.

Now, with the new season approaching, this year’s Spurs aren’t even as good as last year’s squad that was swept by the Lakers, and won’t be a real contender. They had a wide-open window, and Robinson slammed it shut. While it may not be fair to wish he’d signed a minimum contract-although it would have been refreshing- it is fair to blame him for ending San Antonio’s title hopes for the next decade by demanding more than he was worth. 

I predict that the Spurs will finish no better than fourth in the West this year, and won’t make it out of the second round. The 2002-03 season will be even worse, when Robinson and Steve Smith realize that they aren’t getting any younger and Duncan starts to mark off days on the calendar until he can head to Orlando. Then the rebuilding will begin. I hope the admiral is happy. He’s steered the Spur’s ship straight out of the finals and into the lottery.